Apparatus for manufacturing containers



lOct. 4, 1949. A. A. ABRAMSON 2,483,605

APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING CONTAINERS Original Filed June 24, 1944 5Sheets-Sheet l S e mi s /ICIUI I e "5 "LS s l.: Y. m l

Oct. 4, 1949. l A. A. ABRAMSON 2,483,605

APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING CONTAINERS Original Filed June 24, 1944 3Sheets-Sheet 2 Oct. 4, 1949. A. A. ABRAMSON 2,483,605

APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING CONTAINERS Original Filed June 24, 1944 3Sheets-Sheet 3 @ifa I i y /Nl/EA/Taff:

I ALVIN A.ABRAMsoN 26 27 5f wlw qrro R/VEK 'hir atented Oct. 4, 1949APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING CNTAINEBS- Alvin A. Abramson, St. Louis,Mo.,

assignor to Central States Paper & Bagr Company, Si.. Louis, Mo., acorporation of Missouri Original application June 24, 1944, Serial541,884. Divided and this ber 12,1945, Serial No.

l Claim. l

This invention relates generally to equipment for manufacturing bags oranalogous containers, vand the present application is a division of myco-pending application Serial No. 541,884, led June 24, 1944.

For certain purposes of military supply, it has become necessary toprocure an extremely large quantity of strong, durable. and waterproofpaper bags. Such bags must be fabricated from a heavy multi-ply kraftstock laminated with a thermoplastic waterproof binding agent such as anasphaltic adhesive. In fact, present speciiications require a heavytwo-ply brown paper stock laminated with a blended asphalt. In additionto this, the seams formed when the material is fabricated into a bagmust also be made with a blended asphalt as the adhesive. Such materialsare very difficult to work even when made entirely by hand, one at atime, because the asphalt laminated paper, although strong andwaterproof when iinally fabricated into a bag, is nevertheless verysusceptible to atmospheric conditions during the fabricating process.Furthermore, the seam-forming adhesive must be applied while very hotand the bag-blank cannot be worked until this adhesive has been cooledto the optimum temperature. Finally it is necessary to provide a mouthor opening for the bag which will permit the bags to remain unsealedwhile being shipped to the plant or depot where they are to be iilled,and yet be readily, quickly, and simply sealed in a waterproof mannerafter filling.

It is the primary object oi' the present invention to provide equipmentfor high speed,. mass production of waterproof laminated bags from acontinuous roll of iiexible sheet material, which, as it is unrolled, iscut into like sections of predetermined dimensions and each section insuccession then folded upon itself and marginally seamed. y

The present invention has for a further object the provision ofmachinery for the automatic high speed preparation of bag-blanksproperly coated with a suitable waterproof adhesive.

The present invention has for another object the provision of machineryfor manufacturing a container having its 'open end adapted for closureby adhesive applied mechanically during the formation o1' the containerand protected subsee quently and pending filling of the container.

And with the above and other objects in view, my inventicnresides in theunique form and structure or `the container and in the steps of No.application Septem- (Cl. ill-'55) its manufacture or production, all aspresently described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings (three sheets)- Figure 1 is a verticallongitudinal sectional view of an apparatus specially designed forutilization in the production of bags or other such containers accordingto my invention;

Figure 2 is a plan view oi' the structure or apparatus of Figure 1:

Figure 3 is a plan view of a severed blank of container-forming materialas it is delivered from the structure o apparatus of Figures 1 and 2;

Figure 4 is an enlarged broken transverse section through the blanktakenl apprommately on the line Il d, Figure 3 Figure 5 illustrates theblank of Figure 3 provided .with a protective strip applied upon one ofthe adhesive coated longitudinal margins thereof Figure 6 is an enlargeddetail vertical section taken on the line B-8, Figure 5:

Figure 7 shows the blank of Figures 3 and 5 partially folded uponitself;

vFigure 8 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken-on the line @-8,Figure 7:

Figure 9 illustrates the next step in the folding ot the blank;

Figures 10, 11, and 12 are enlarged fragmentary sections taken on thelines I-I, Ii-ll, and |2-I2, Figure 9, respectively;

Figure 13 is a fragmentary sectional view through the upper end of thebag, showing the adhesive-protecting strip removed from the mouththereof and the mouth or normally open rlild adhesively closed after thebag has been Figure 14 illustrates the folded blank of Figures 9, 10,and 11 being passed, in the next step in the production of theindividual bag, under rolls whereby certain adhesive-coated areasthereof are pressed togetherrand Figure 15 is a vertical section takenon the line |5-I5, Figure 14.

Referring now more in detail and by reference characters to theaccompanying drawings, R designates a roll of two-ply asphalt-laminatedmaterialv from formed or constructed. Preferably such material comprisesoverlying plies of relatively heavy paper laminated with a layer ofasphalt or other thermoplastic waterproof adhesive.

The roll R is suitably mounted upon a rollerr iournaled for rotation atthe front end of the blank-forming machine A, and the continuous whichthe bag B of Figure 9 is to bel web of material M is led from roll Rfirst over idlers I and I' and then rearwardly through acontrolled-atmosphere chamber 2 having a at, websupporting bottom-wall 3provided on its under side with a cooling coil 3 connected to a suitablerefrigerating unit C. As it leaves the bottom-wall 3, the paper passesbetween a pair of feed rollers 4 to a cut-off table 5, where apredetermined length of the strip-material M is severed by a suitablerotary knife 6 in the provision of a blank b from which an individualbag B is structed, the blank b being carried or transported ilatwise ona conveyor-belt 8 during, and for conveniently and facilely enabling,manual folding and manipulation thereof into the finished bag B, aspresently fully appears.

Adjacent the front end of the apparatus A, 1s a preferably electricallyheated tank or reservoir 9 for an asphaltic or other suitable preferablywaterproof adhesive I0. A pair of applicatorrollers II are journaled forpartial peripheral rotation in reservoir 9, each applicator I Iconsisting of a narrow disk, the periphery of which during rotationtravels through the hot liquid adhesive Ill and applying contacts withthe portion of the unrolling web M as it passes over idler I', as bestseen in Fi'rure 1.

It will be noted by observation of Figure 2 that the applicators II arespaced a distance approximately equivalent to the width ofl theparticular web M, so that adhesive from the reservoir 9 is continuouslydeposited thereby on the traveling web M in the form of two marginalstripes I3, and following such application of the adhesive I to and uponthe web M and as the web M now travels rearwardly through the apparatusA, the adhesive-stripes I3 pass beneath suitable sprayers I4, where theyare subjected, as shown, to a fine mist of cold water or other suitablecoolant for quenching the molten adhesive, that is to say, reducing boththe temperature and fluidity thereof.

The traveling and now marginally adhesively equipped web M, as the sheetpasses rearwardly through the controlled-atmosphere chamber 2 of theapparatus A, is subjected to streams of cold air, circulated by means ofa blower I4 over a cooling coil I6 connected to a suitable refrigeratingunit C' and having a condensate catchtrough Il in turn connected to asuitable drainage pipe I8. In this connection it may be noted that thecooling coil is operated at such temperature as will condition thecirculating air both as to temperature and moisture content and, as aresult, the air which ows across the surface of the moving web M ismaintained precisely at optimum temperature and humidity, so that web Mis substantially dried and the temperature of the adhesive-stripes I3 isreduced to such extent as to enable safe manual manipulation or foldingof the sheet. It will be understood, of course, that the chamber 2 is ofa suitably selected length for accomplishing the result mentioned.

The feed rollers 4 and cutter or knife 6 are geared together orotherwise synchronized, so that each revolution of the cutter 6 permitsa sumcient length b of the sheet M to pass or trai el to and upon th.nconveyor 8 for the production of a single bag B.

The length or blank b, see Figure 3, thus formed or provided consists ofa dat sheet equipped or provided upon the same face and adjacent itsopposite longitudinal margins with two stripes I3 of the adhesive I0,cooled for sheet handling and formed or consumciently dried, to maintainits contour and thereby avoid spreading over the surface of the sheet,although sufliciently plastic and tacky to unite the coated surfacesunder pressure, as presently appears.

As the blank b travels rearwardly on the conveyor 8, it passes aplurality of operators stations, a sulcient number being provided sothat the subsequent manual operations can keep pace with the output ofthe apparatus A. As it comes along a blank b is removed and a protectingstrip I9 is applied manually by an attendant or operator over and uponone of the stripes I3 with one end positioned inwardly of the lateralmargin of the blank, as at h, and the other end projecting, as at h', inthe provision of a tab 20. It should be noted that this tab 20 has alength equal to the length :c of uncovered space at h plus an additionallength y which provides a free finger-grip for later removal of thestrip when the bag is to be sealed after having been lled. Suchprotecting strip I9 may be of any suitable non-absorbent material, such,for instance, as a cellulose product of the type commonly known ascellophana which readily adheres to the stripe I3, but which may asreadily and easily be removed, when desired.

' Following the application, as described, of the protecting strip I9,the blank b is manually folded upwardly on the fold-line 2 I, Figure 5,and forwardly over the intermediate portion 22 to the position shown inFigure '1. A transverse marginal stripe 23 of asphaltic adhesive is thenmanually applied upon the upper face thereof, as shown. Thereupon theopposite end-portion 24 of the blank b is folded upwardly along the foldline 25 and downwardly in overlying relation upon adhesive-stripe 23,Figure 9.

The folded blank b is then in the form of a attened tube, as best seenin Figure 11, and the overlapping adhesive-coated areas, that is thetransverse margins and the unprotected longitudinal margin of the blankb, may be iirmly and permanently united by suitably passing the foldedblank b beneath suitable pressure-rollers 26 and 21, as shown in Figures14 and 15, and as indicated by the solid and broken lines defining thebag in Figure 14. The rollers 26, 21, as will be understood, force theadhesive into the ber of the bagmaterial, making a permanent bond, andcompleting the bag B for filling. It should also oe noted that thevertical or center seam will be securely formed all the way to the uppermargin of the bag by reason of the fact that the protecting strip I9 wasso applied as to leave the adhesive-stripe I3 free at h, so that itcould become an intimate and bonded part of such center seam. At thesame time, the cellophane protecting strip I9 is not caught in thecenter seam and can be easily and quickly removed.

As best seen in Figures 11 and 12, the finished bag B has a bottomcomprised by the outturned flange-like portions 28, formed by thelongitudinal marginal portions of the blankb secured adhesively togetherin overlying relation by the unprotected adhesive-strlpe I3, a seamlessside wall 29, an opposite side wall 30 having a single flat seam, as at3I, and a readily opened mouth, as at 32, defined by the oppositelongitudinal and protected margins of the folded blank b. In suchregard, the strip I9 continues in protecting position over the marginalstripe I3 at the open or mouth end 32 of the b ag B until the bag B isfilled, when the strip I9 may be readily removed and such opposingmarginal portlons of the bag B pressed mouth 32 of the bag, as indicatedat I3, Figure 13.

Such method or process of bag-production uniquely provides formechanical application of the major portion of the adhesive to the sheetas the sheet comes from the roll R, the applied more or less hotadhesive is then cooled and partially solidified and dried, and thesheet then cut automatically to suitable individual bag-lengths orsections, all without handling by the operator, who then takes thesevered blank and performs the folding and subsequent cementingoperations on each blank as it is delivered onto the conveyor 8, asshown in Figures l and 2, hand application of adhesive and the stackingof blanks during cooling and drying into condition for folding andcompletion of the bagsbeing totally eliminated, The method thuseconomically provides for mass production, the bags being thus quicklyconstructed with little labor and most economically with respect toother production costs.

The details of the apparatus A by which the bag-material is fed past theadhesive applicators and to the severing knife and to the operator andat least some of the steps in the operation may be varied substantiallywithout departing from the spirit of the invention, and the exclusiveuse of those modications coming within the scope of the claim iscontemplated.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is:

A bag-making machine comprising means for passing a sheet of bag-formingmaterial along aI predetermined path in a continuous web, means forapplyinghot adhesive to said web in defined areas, a chamber locatedalong and around said path through which said web passes after it hasreceived the application of the adhesive, a cooling coil associated withsaid chamber for cooling and dehumidifying the air within said chamber,blower means for circulating said refrigerated. and dehumidied air in acontinuously moving stream from the cooling coil over the surface of theweb of bag-forming material as it passes through the chamber,.a atfloor-forming plate in said chamber over which said web of bag-formingmaterial slides as it moves through the chamber, and separaterefrigerating units for respectively cooling said plate and said coolingcoil.

ALVIN A. ABRAMSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Sheesley Aug. 5, 1941

